Recipe

Because salmon is full-flavored enough to stand up to red wine, I've paired it here with a beurre rouge, a creamy red wine sauce that's finished by swirling in butter, enriching the sauce and giving it a silken, shiny finish. Cracked black pepper and balsamic vinegar work together to balance the sauce.

Yield: SERVES 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons minced shallots

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 thyme sprig

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 cups full-bodied red wine

2 tablespoons heavy cream

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Coarse salt

Freshly ground white pepper

4 skinless salmon fillets (7 ounces each)

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a wide, deep saute pan set over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, cracked black pepper, and thyme, and saute for 4 minutes. Add the vinegar and wine, raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, and let reduce until just a few tablespoons remain, approximately 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cream. Then whisk in the butter, I piece at a time. Pour the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Discard the solids. Season the sauce with salt and white pepper, and set it aside, covered, to keep warm.

Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a wide saute pan set over medium-high heat. Season the salmon on both sides with salt and white pepper. Add the salmon to the pan, skinned side up, and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Turn the fillets over, lower the heat to medium, and cook for another 4 minutes.

To serve, arrange the fillets on a warmed serving platter and drizzle some sauce over each fillet. Pass the remaining sauce alongside in a sauceboat.